They are turning their attention to gays and lesbians, a group that wields substantial buying power but isn't fully integrated into mainstream advertising. Similar to other moves to attract different minority groups, the push comes with risks, as it could threaten the retailers' relationships with some of their longtime shoppers.

Nonetheless, from J.C. Penney Co.'s (JCP) high-profile hiring of openly gay television personality Ellen DeGeneres as its spokeswoman to Target Corp.'s (TGT) selling of same-sex greeting cards, retailers are testing ways to cozy up to a community that by one estimate is as many as 16 million strong and has almost double the disposable income of the average American, some $49,000 per capita versus $26,000. . . J.C. Penney has been more aggressive than other large retailers in courting gays. In addition to hiring Ms. DeGeneres, the company featured two women as a couple in its May catalog and two men in its June offering. J.C. Penney also had a float in New York's Gay Pride parade, and the Two Dads--as the men have come to be known--also attended. J.C. Penney's monthly catalog is mailed to 14 million customers nationwide. . . Macy's Inc. (M) uses gay-friendly graphics in some of its windows during Gay Pride Month in June. "We support, and have for many years, pride parades in many cities," Macy's spokesman Jim Sluzewski said.

A Sears store in a Toronto mall that was along the route of this year's gay-pride parade in that city had models holding flags in rainbow colors, the symbol of gay pride. A spokesman for Sears Canada said the Toronto store was the only one that had such a display. Sears doesn't do gay-pride displays in the U.S...

JC Penney: "more aggressive than other large retailers in courting gays" While trading on above-average volume, JC Penney (JCP) decreased today, hitting and then dropping past its previous 52-week low to $20.70. The stock price is down 4.4% with a volume of 7.7 million. The stock is trading at 85.7% of its 50-day moving average and 65.7% of its 200-day moving average.

When we got married in 1972, our first credit card was JC Penney. Our quarters were stocked from that retailer for years. They sold us the basics with no frills. Now they are selling foo foo stuff at high prices. Too bad they lost track of the core American market.

A year ago, I cut up the card, not interested in someone who is not interested in us..

What groups will they advertise/pander to next? Will they pander to the gang bangers of the world, and have sales on Trayvon Martin style hoodies???

Will they pander to the drug addicts, or the hoarders next? Hoarder type people would be good customers, because they fill their houses with so much C**p everywhere. Let’s have adds showing houses filled to the brim, so you can’t even walk in there. But if the stuff is from JC Penney, it’s all good.

Cater to the baby mamas too. And why not go for homeless chic too????? There’s lots of marketing possibilities.

Gay activists tell us that it’s “hetero-normative” to have adds which show moms and dads and kids, because that sets a standard which hurts the self esteem of those who don’t fit in. So, there you have it. Retailers want to make a political statement with all of this.

They count prison inmates in this number. (If they had a choice, they'd be heterosexuals, but their choices are limited.) Yes, the prisons are full. In some places, they're setting them free due to lack of space and/or funding.

Things aren't always what they seem, and it appears Penny's is falling for the deception.

Yes it is a lifestyle of choice. The entertainment industry is crawling with 'em and look at how they try to portray homosexuality as normal. Try watching a whole session of "So You Think You Can Dance" to get a good feel of the not so subliminal propaganda barrage.

The younger generation isn't more gay, they have just been bombed with the "normalcy" concept so much they have accepted the propaganda.

When we got married in 1972, our first credit card was JC Penney. Our quarters were stocked from that retailer for years. They sold us the basics with no frills. Now they are selling foo foo stuff at high prices. Too bad they lost track of the core American market.

That reminds me of a story one of my co-workers told me about his home town in Alabama. The quick version goes like this:

A entrepreneur gets the idea to sell reasonably priced plain furniture to the townsfolk. He does well, actually he does very well and before he dies has five stores scattered around the state. His business model is successful.

His two daughters take over the business upon his death, now these two Southern belles have been raised in near opulence and have always had the best that Daddy’s money could buy. So what do they do?

Well not knowing the clientele of the stores their Father built up from nothing they change the furnishings from those “plain and tacky’ furnishings to the sort of things they have always had in their own homes.

Bottom line; in less than five years their stores have all gone out of business. And all because they didn’t know or understand their customer base.

The same thing will happen to J.C. Penny and Target, et al. Their customer base is or at least ‘was’ families with children.

Giving the finger to the 98% who aren't gay is brilliant marketing... and for all those companies that agree - I say 'go for it'. And while they're at it, shove those unappealing 'green' products that cost more and don't work down our throats. That will also increase popularity...

And one more thing - while you're at it - marketing based on sexual practices - don't forget the R Kelly types - he's the rapper who likes to pee on underaged girls. Don't discriminate against his type.

23
posted on 07/16/2012 8:36:29 AM PDT
by GOPJ
(Innocent people dying was the objective of Fast and Furious......... Ann Coulter)

Giving the finger to the 98% who aren't gay is brilliant marketing... and for all those companies that agree - I say 'go for it'. And while they're at it, shove those unappealing 'green' products that cost more and don't work down our throats. That will also increase popularity...

And one more thing - while you're at it - marketing based on sexual practices - don't forget the R Kelly types - he's the rapper who likes to pee on underaged girls. Don't discriminate against his type.

Hey Kraft Foods - are you with us?

25
posted on 07/16/2012 8:37:23 AM PDT
by GOPJ
(Innocent people dying was the objective of Fast and Furious......... Ann Coulter)

They should fire the dumbell who revealed their inner marketing strategies to the public. If they want to do this, that is fine- that's their decision- but releasing that info publicly is a marketing action in itself, and not a good one.

I suspect any company which promotes a homosexual agenda will find their action counter-productive. I once was a JC Penny customer, primarily because their store was on the route between work and home, but not any longer.

30
posted on 07/16/2012 8:42:52 AM PDT
by elpadre
(AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)

“So YouThink You Can Dance” is my favorite show. There is nothing new for the last 100 years that a lot of male ballet and modern (contemporary) dancers are gay. Sexuality is not discussed on the show. The executive producer is a straight former dancer, and he insists every Dance be done by a male and a female, with a few rare exceptions that are very “straight” like 3 guys doing a Broadway baseball routine, etc. And the hip hop dancers are nearly always straight.

Half the guys on Hollywood Squares were gay and that was in the 1960s.

So 1-2 percent of the human race is a large enough group to sell out for?
So you pick up even 100% of them and you lose 1% of the other 98-99% of the human race and this makes sense to retailers?
IDIOTS..............

34
posted on 07/16/2012 8:48:31 AM PDT
by SECURE AMERICA
(Where can I sign up for the New American Revolution and the Crusades 2012?)

this junk is recycled every so often. Particularly after some homosexual is caught molesting boys scandal (see sandusky).

In the end the result is making any product a product to AVOID because of marketing. Whatever is sold to homosexuals agressivly becomes the stay away product. The same with using homosexuals as product promoters.

It becomes a pyric marketing victor which MIGHT gain a niche but cause 98% to not spend money on the product.

btw, the homosexual Alaska Airlines site can not be accessed from the standard site. It is meant to be “under the radar”. That is, homosexuals know about it but your average American does not.

And it is not unintentional on the part of Alaska airlines. If you go to their site map from any screen (even one of the gay screens), it is not on the site map.

There are two ways to find it: 1. someone posts it like I did here or 2) you google alaska airlines and gay.

The company is trying to have their cake and eat it too. It is sleazy beyond belief.

And check out their “gay package deals” with a discount code. It would be interesting if a straight person used those discounts on a trip that coincides with one, though you may find the rest of the people on the plane a bit more interesting than normal.

2% is the number that I’ve always heard. Much ado about nothing. However, it is standard operating procedure for all minorities, blacks, Jews, and homosexuals to inflate their representation in the population - or at least to try and make the MSM, Hollywood and the rest of the discretionary capitalistic environment to think they are.

JC Penney discriminates against black rappers like R Kelly who like to pee on underaged girls. Is JC Penney racist? Or do the judge people based on sexual practices? R Kelly and black rap ARTISTS have human rights too.

JC Penney is racist and sexist... and so is Kraft Foods - they discriminate against black rappers - black rappers who have different sex practices than uptight right wing Christians. It’s time for equality and human rights....

44
posted on 07/16/2012 9:03:44 AM PDT
by GOPJ
(Innocent people dying was the objective of Fast and Furious......... Ann Coulter)

JC Penney discriminates against black rappers like R Kelly who likes to pee on underaged girls. Is JC Penney racist? Or do the judge people based on sexual practices? R Kelly and BLACK RAP ARTISTS have human rights too.

JC Penney is racist and sexist... and so is Kraft Foods - they discriminate against black rappers - black rappers who have different sex practices than uptight right wing Christians. It’s time for equality and human rights....

47
posted on 07/16/2012 9:04:45 AM PDT
by GOPJ
(Innocent people dying was the objective of Fast and Furious......... Ann Coulter)

I go to a store to buy a product at a fair price. I do not go to a store to learn about diversity or financially support a company’s political correctness.
If your store just oozes rainbows, it better be either a religious book store or a baby nursery themed outlet.
If I see guy/guy models, rainbow kerchiefs and ladies holding hands, you might as well put spiked dog collars and dildos in the window to complete the picture.
At which point, I retch just a little and walk on by.

48
posted on 07/16/2012 9:05:03 AM PDT
by bossmechanic
(If all else fails, hit it with a hammer)

These jackasses make it sound as if homosexuals are the at the top positions of every corporate ladder and not hairdressers, female impersonators, public restroom prowlers, and out of work actors and dancers.

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